About Me

Designing Human Resilience — From Global Systems to Inner Worlds

I help people and organizations find clarity and creative strength in the face of change.

For more than 15 years, I’ve worked at the intersection of innovation, design, and human transformation — leading projects for the Smithsonian, a global university, and a tech start-up. I’ve guided teams through uncertainty, built ideas into impact, and learned what truly moves people forward.

The hardest part of innovation isn’t technology — it’s the human transition beneath it.

Joy by Design was born from that realization: that joy isn’t a luxury or an outcome — it’s the missing variable in how we approach change.
It’s the energy that turns resilience into renewal, and transition into transformation.

This belief has guided my work across continents and through every chapter of my life — from designing global systems to rebuilding my own.

  • My path led from global strategy to creative entrepreneurship, human-centered design, and innovation leadership.

    • Founded The Bees Knees Design, a design | build company that brought creativity to clients like Boston Children’s Hospital and Pottery Barn Kids.

    • Led transformation for the Smithsonian, a global university, and a tech start-up, reshaping how teams solve problems and inspire growth.

    But my deepest lessons came when life itself demanded reinvention.
    A business collapse. Family struggles. A marriage tested and rebuilt.

    Those years became my personal laboratory — applying design principles of curiosity, empathy, and iteration to my emotional world. I learned to regulate energy, set loving boundaries, and rebuild from within.

    What emerged wasn’t a return, but a redesign — truthful, spacious, and wholly human.

  • Joy by Design fuses two worlds — the rigor of strategy and innovation, and the wisdom of emotional intelligence and embodied practice.
    It’s a method for navigating change that blends design thinking, behavioral science, and mindful awareness.

    • Through Joy Studio, I guide individuals in transformation.

    • Through We Design Futures, I help organizations build cultures of creative resilience — where emotional intelligence and innovation fuel each other.

    Across every context, I believe joy isn’t the reward for a perfect life — it’s the energy source for transformation.

  • Principal Consultant — We Design Futures
    Helps organizations align teams and design people-first strategies for growth.

    Director of Innovation — University of New England
    Founded the university’s first innovation office; led strategy and culture initiatives across healthcare and education.

    Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
    Developed a design-thinking strategy that tripled visitor engagement.

    Chief Program Officer — KID Museum
    Scaled creative learning programs to reach 55K+ children annually.

    Founder — The Bees Knees Design
    Created art and learning environments for hospitals and schools; artwork licensed by Pottery Barn Kids.

    🏆 Named one of Maine Magazine’s Mainers of the Year for inspiring change through design.

    🎓 Degrees from Wellesley College and Georgetown University

    🧘 Certified Yoga and Pilates Teacher, integrating embodied practice with systems thinking and innovation.

Why I Lead This Work

Because I’ve lived at every scale — from global systems to intimate relationships, from crisis to renewal.

Joy isn’t something you chase — it’s a skill you cultivate.

Joy by Design teaches you to notice what isn’t working, imagine what could be, and take one bold step toward something better.

Don’t wait for life to get easier.
Learn to feel joy — and change everything.